A Torn Rose and a Broken Thorn
by Cody Dragona
Summary: Kurama confesses his love to Hiei, then goes missing and is suspected to be dead. Now everyone believes Hiei is responsible...What will happen? Beware the M rating.
1. A Withered Rose and it's Broken Thorn

-1Chapter One: A Withered rose, and its broken thorn

""Hiei, you have hereby been charged with the murder of Shuichi Minamono." The words hit the boy's soul and gripped at his heart. How could they possibly blame HIM for the death of his best friend? IT just wasn't right!

"What reason do you have for charging me with such things?" He tried to stay calm but…that just wasn't right…he didn't do it…it wasn't fair.

"My reasoning is that every bit of information we've found has pointed directly toward you, Hiei." Koenma's words stung at the back of Hiei's mind. He must have been framed! Someone must have framed him…but why?

He opened his mouth to argue, but apparently Yusuke had something of much more importance to say.

"Come on Koenma, are you insane?!? Hiei had to have been framed! He wouldn't hurt Kurama, and he sure as Hell wouldn't kill him!!!" Yusuke was protecting him? But why? Why on earth would anyone trust him? He wanted to ask, but he figured some things were probably better left unsaid and unheard…unknown.

"Well I'm sorry you disagree with me Yusuke, but all of our evidence points right toward Hiei, and that leads me to believe that he is in fact the one responsible for this mess."

He wanted to protest, really he did, but there was a lump in his throat…keeping him from speaking. That feeling…he hated it with a fiery passion. He wasn't supposed to get choked up like this. He was supposed to be strong! He could take anything…accept for the pain in his stomach, and how it felt as if someone were trying to just carve out his heart. It was next to unbearable…and he just wanted it to end.

"Damnit Koenma! His best friend is gone, and now you decide he's the one who killed him? You're a bastard Koenma, you know that?" Despite all the evidence…Yusuke was still by his side one hundred percent…it made the young demon curious. Why would he care so much?

A third(more annoying) voice joined into the conversation. "Well gosh Urameshi, I dunno, I mean…Hiei's a criminal! A thief and a killer! Why do you trust him so much?" He should have figured The Neanderthal would be against him through all of this. He hated him so much…

"Look at him! He's shaking! Hiei doesn't get scared! He doesn't get upset! It couldn't have been him!" Hiei was pretty sure Yusuake was still talking, but he wasn't actually listening.

He couldn't follow the conversation. His stomach hurt, and he felt dizzy. Why was this happening? What was he of all people being blamed for a crime he had not committed? Sure, a long time ago he could have easily taken a sword to Kurama's throat…but not now…not after what Kurama said. Not after he heard those damned words escape those beautiful lips…those damned words that were tearing his very soul to shreds…

'I needed to tell you, I love you…' That bastard! How could he say that? How could he say that and then go and get himself killed!?! It wasn't fair! Subconsiously he put Kurama's rose, the rose kept alive purely by Kurama's will to keep it as such, in the front of his pocket…and swore to himself that he'd never loose it.

Just barely the demon could hear Koenma and the others argueing, but he found it next to impossible to concentrate on listening. His head hurt to much to even bother…Someone who loved him had finally came along…and now they were dead.

It was another half an hour or so before Yusuke gently shook the demon's shoulder. "Hey…Hiei, come on. Koenma's given us three days to get proof that you're innocent."

Slowly Hiei followed the boy, but he barely even realized he was doing so, because Kurama; a man with eyes as beautiful and sharp as a rose's stem, and hair was red and as silk as a rose's delicate petals was now dead…and Hiei; someone so small he seemed almost harmless, but in reality just the flick of his wrist and the blink of an eye could leave you crying for your mother…much like a thorn, was broken.

All they were now was a withered rose…and it's broken thorn.


	2. Sweet Words

-1**Okay everyone! So sorry for the wait! I was visiting my Grandma's house and so I had no time at all to come post chapter two, or even type it up…so anyway, here is chapter 2!**

Chapter 2:

"Jeez Hiei, if you weren't such a loner we might have some alibi for you," It had been three days…all three days…and they still had no proof in the little demon's favor. "and what's worse is that you were the last one seen with him."

"He…wanted to tell me something…" His eyes were glued to the ground, guilt was eating away at him from the inside out. He shouldn't have let Kurama leave. If he hadn't let him go then he wouldn't be…gone.

"What did he say? It might help you, ya know." Yusuke replied, watching his little friend with pitty in his eyes.

"It was…" dare he say unimportant? No! He couldn't say that! Those words were the most important words he'd ever heard. He couldn't say they weren't! So he used the only thing he could think of. The conversation killer. "Hn" but he knew that wouldn't stop the teens questions, he had to think of something. Anything! However, he was drawing a blank. Maybe he should tell Urameshi the truth.

"You know Hiei, it could help you"

"No Urameshi, it won't," The words burned his lips like he was spitting acid "but I'm going to tell you anyway. When Kurama found me the other day he told me something I thought I would never hear. They were words that I sometimes forget exist."

The look Yusuke was giving him was priceless, but the little demon ignored it and continued.

"Kurama told me…he…loved me. His exact words were; Hiei, I know you feel alone in your life, and I know you'll probably hate me for this, but I needed to tell you; I love you."

The look on Yusuke's face changed, and turned to sorrow as he watched Hiei hide the way he truly hurt deep down.

"You…really didn't do it…did you?"

"Of coarse I didn't…why would I? Kurama was the only one who ever truthfully cared whether or not I am able to move on in life. Now that I think about it…he was always by my side when I…when I was unsure of myself…or anything. He was always there when I got hurt and couldn't take care of the wounds on my own…why would I destroy that?"

"So that's why you zoned out the other day? You were…unsure of yourself?"

"Maybe…I'm not sure."

"Hiei…maybe if we tell Koenma he'll…"

"He'll what? The fact that the fox was in love with me will not get me out of this mess Urameshi. People murder people every day. It happens! The fact that he loved me will not change a thing. He'll still be gone…and I'll still be in this god damned mess."

"Hiei…"

"That's why I didn't bother telling you. It's pointless. Everything is pointless. I'm going to Makkai Jail and there is nothing we can do to change it Urameshi. That's just the way things go."

"Hiei…don't say that…" Yusuke knew it was pointless, but proving Hiei innocent was important. He knew the fact that the little demon was blamed for the death of his friend must be tearing him to bits inside. He knew it probably hurt so bad…

The poor little guy…


	3. Awakening Rose

-1Okay so I hate this Chapter with all of my heart and soul, and just so you know; this Chapter is shorter than the last(I think). I'm so sorry about the shortness of my chapters, but I couldn't drag this one out much longer than I did.

CHAPTER 3

Slowly the demon opened his eyes. The pain was immense, keeping him from moving very much.

Where was he anyway, and why on earth was it so bright? Hadn't it just been raining? Oh, and how the heck had he survived, didn't he get stabbed?

'Well since I haven't bled to death, that means I must have been found, right?' He thought to himself as he looked around.

The room was small, and there were roses almost everywhere you looked. He thought they were absolutely gorgeous.

"Hiei?" He questioned as he sat up. He hoped it had been his little demon who had found him, and not someone else.

"No child, there is no one here by that name." The voice made him jump, even though it was one of the most beautiful voices he'd ever heard. "Who is this Hiei person? A friend of yours?" The voice suited the woman. She was very beautiful, and looked to be about 20 years old.

"Uh, yes ma'am. Hiei is a friend of mine. Now I must thank you for saving me ma'am. Is there anything I can do in return?"

"Don't thank me, child. I saved you because it is not a very good feeling to see someone dieing that you know you can help, and just walking away, but I feel that even if I hadn't helped you out you would still be alright. Your will to live is very strong, and you have a good heat. I trust you will use them wisely." The woman smiled reassuringly, it was a peaceful smile, and it made him trust that she would not hurt him. "So what is your real name, child?"

"I am Shuuichi, but most people just call me Kurama."

The woman blinked a bit, looking confused.

"You mean…Yoko Kurama? The one they declared dead? But that would mean…your friend…Hiei, was it? He was sent to the Makkai Jail for…they suspected him to have been the one who 'killed you'."

The kitsune seemed confused. Hiei was in jail? Did he just hear her right? Hiei couldn't be in jail for a murder that never even took place!

"Ma'am…we aren't in the human world any more…are we?"

"No child…we are in the world of the demons."

"In that case…I apologize for this, but I must go. I need to save him. It's my fault he was locked away, and now I must set things right. I must thank you again ma'am for all of the help you've been." He found himself wobbling when he stood, and it suddenly occurred to him that he may have been asleep longer than he thought he was.


	4. Freedom

-1(WHOO!!!! Chapter Four!!! And it's LONGER than chapter three!!!! OH YEAH!!!! Go me!

Oh, and my fanfic has hit a few problems recently that I just realized…like I had this plot type thingy that they had to find a portal from the human world to get to the demon world to find Kurama-kun…but why would they have to do that if they already had Hiei in the DEMON WORLD jail…so bear with me while I try to figure out what to do with my plot. OH OH OH! I know, okay since I don't feel like explaining my new plot in the actual story you'll have to read it here please:

Basically everyone was TOLD Hiei was in the Makkai Jail, but Yusuke had convinced Koenma-sama togo easy on Hiei. So instead of sending Hiei to a jail; Koenma had Hiei locked away in one of the three hundred billion rooms in his giant castle thingy…

Yeah yeah…not very well thought out…but it's all I can think of! I sowwy…)

(Oh , and from now on Ishall reply to the first review I get of the chapter I last submitted…so here is what someone said I like what they said…don't know why…I just do

"oh good update! Yay he's not dead a little hurt but...RUN Kurama! Save Hiei!

hehehe more please!"

Okee Pokie, I say! Yes, Shuu-chan has been sleeping, not dead! Oh yeah! That rocks! Mhm! Okay! So yeah. That's my reply…oh, and by her request…I am starting to type chapter 4!!! Ain't that nice of me? Okay, so I'm gonna let you read chappie four now…)

(ENJOY)

CHAPTER FOUR:

(MAKE SURE YOU READ WHAT I SAID UP THERE! It's important!)

Sunlight broke through the bars and spilled across the floor, covering the room with a blanket of bright light, but with light came shadows, and it was amongst those shadows that the little demon sat patiently…but his patience was growing thin.

For two whole years; the little demon had spent his time locked away. For two years all he had to do was to sit and think about how he had been wrongfully punished for a crime he had not committed, to try and figure out why anyone would possibly even believe the fact that he had killed Kurama…

The little demon had made a habit of something. With every thought he had of Kurama, he would take out the rose he had so carefully hidden within the folds of his kimono; the rose that Kurama used to keep alive with his spirit energy. He would twirl the withered rose in his fingers and think of how upset Kurama would be to think that his rose was in such a condition.

However…this time he saw a rose at full bloom. The rose was alive, and for the first time in (WHO KNOWS how long), there was a burning hope in the little demons eyes. If Kurama's rose had come back to life…then maybe Kurama had as well!

The smile spread across the little demons face like a wildfire in a dried out forest, until the only noticeable expression was pure joy, and it seemed that there were little embers of happiness and hope dancing throughout his crimson eyes.

His moment was interrupted, however, by the sound of oncoming footsteps, and so he quickly hid the rose. One of Koenma's guards was coming to check on his, and being rather noisy about it.

As the guard passed by; the little demon's thoughts darkened once more.

'What if Kurama never finds out I'm here? What if he never finds out they've locked me away like this? Or what if Kurama never even bothers to look for me?' The little demon tried to push the panic aside, but panic was all he could do. Panic or hate, and he really didn't want to hate Kurama, so the little demon stuck with the panic.

Leaning on the wall he closed his eyes and tried to think of what to do, but it all seemed so hopeless.

(oo! Lookie! I found a way to extend my chappies! And it is called:

TIMESKIP!!!!)

The little demon looked up. He wondered silently what Koenma wanted with him as he slowly stood and followed the guard out of the room and down the hall to Koenma's office.

"Hiei. I want to apologize." Koenma started to talk.

'He did not just say that….' Hiei uttered the words in his mind.

"I a have realized that your imprisonment was wrong,"

'And that makes it okay????!!!!'

"and I know you are angry with me, but I would like you to help us with something."

'Like hell I will!'

"We're looking for Kurama, who we now have proof is still alive."

'Well that changes everything…' He thought.

"Well…how am I supposed to help…and how do I know I can trust you?" He tried to keep himself calm. His only thought was that he should NOT yell. If he yelled then Koenma may get angry with him and the search for the truth may be brought to an end. "And besides that…where is he? Where are we going to start our search?"

"That's the problem. We haven't the slightest clue as to where Kurama may be hiding. Oh, and you can trust us because you are completely free now Hiei. Even if you decline helping us…you may still leave."

"Wait…so even if we don't find Kurama…I won't have to be locked up anymore?"

"No, you see; you were accused of a murder that never even took place. You were accused of a murder of which the suspected victim is not even dead, therefore you are in fact free. The reason I told you we're searching for Kurama is because I thought you may be interested in helping us out. I figured you may want to help ensure his safety before you disappear…like you always do."

"No, I won't be leaving this time. We're going to find Kurama…and then…" The words replayed once more in the little demons head 'I needed to tell you…I love you'He wondered silently if they were figments of his imagination…or if they were the real thing. Then it hit him. "I…have…his rose…he's out there…defenseless…because I have…his rose…" He muttered, causing Koenma to blink a few times.

"Just…relax, Hiei. As long as Kurama had a plant, or even just a seed; he'll be fine. He can protect himself, but it won't hurt to speed the search up a bit, alright?"

----------------------------------------

Me: And that was chapter four

Hiei: You're making me seem like a wimp! Hasn't ANYONE noticed that yet?

Kurama: I think it's cute!

Hiei: OMG YOU AREN'T DEAD!!! tackles Kurama

Me: Uhhh….anyways…thanks for reading, I hope you have enjoyed chapter four! Please review if you've got time…and maybe I'll reply…if I feel like it… XD Thanks for reading!!! Byesies!


	5. A Journey Begining

(The review I reply to now:

"Okay, I'm still here...now 1)YEAH! I agree. Kurama is alive, but 2) two

years...hum..got me wondering on that...so more please and thank you J"

Two years…hm…I actually wonder why I chose two… I guess I like the number two…TWO! It's the loneliest number since the number one…

Okay I have no idea WHY I just said that…

Okay well I kinda wanted it to be all "OMG, TWO YEARS??? Poor insert name of character you feel worse for here!!!!!!"

Not sure why…I just did…

Oh, and here is one Hiei wanted to reply to: "I don't think Hiei is acting like a wimp. He's acting like a demon inlove! So cute!"

Hiei: Uh-huh…well, let me translate that for you. Demon in loveWIMP

Kurama: Like I said Hiei, I think it's cute, not wimpy, and there's a difference.)

(this is where I hit my peak at short chapters, so I guess I'll try to update a bit more often than usual.)

Chapter Five:

"DAMNIT! My rose is gone too! I must have dropped it when I got knocked out…I can't believe…two damn…two whole damn years? I've been out for…oh my rose..and Hiei…two years!" The fox groaned and held his head. "They must have found my rose…it must have been wilting…yes, that would explain why they thought me dead, but why on earth would they blame Hiei for it?" He couldn't believe it. One minute he had been fighting a man who was out to get his dearest friend, and the next he wakes up and is told he'd been sleeping for two years AND his dearest friend was sent to jail on a murder that NEVER happened!!!

"Child, do not ponder it for too long. It will do no good. If you must do something then take action, do not sit around wallowing in your self pity! It will not save your friend from the penalty to which he has been sentenced! You must find him and set things right once again."

Kurama looked to his feet, letting the woman's words sink in. He knew she spoke the one and only truth.

"You're right, thank you ma'am."

"You best be on your way now, child. Your journey shall be long and difficult. You take care, and if you ever need a thing you come find me, you hear?

"Thank you very much ma'am, and as a matter of fact I do have a small favor to ask. When I awoke I noticed the scent of roses, could I--"

"You want one, dear? I would love to help you along in your journey and if it is a rose you need it is a rose you shall be given."

Kurama smiled a bit and bowed. "Thank you ma'am."

-TIMESKIPS DO WONDERS!-

It wasn't long before Kurama set off. His mission: to find his way back to everyone and to ensure that Hiei was safe. The woman had given him a rose and a bag of seeds. He felt as though he could not thank her enough.

"Hiei…" He looked up toward the sky. "If you can hear me…I still love you…"


	6. One Step To Truth

-1(Kurama wants to reply this time!

"uhm a bit short but it gives ya hope...after TWO YEARS. Poor HIEI!"

Kurama: Oh yes, poor Hiei. After all, he has been locked up for two years. I do pity my dearest friend, honestly I do…but what about me? I was unconscious for two years! Don't I at least get a little bit of pity too?

Hiei: I pity you Kurama.

Kurama: …Hiei…coming from you I'm not sure if that's an insult or a compliment.

While our favorite love birds bicker like a married couple of old farts why don't you enjoy the next chapter. The next…very short…chapter…)

Chapter 6:

He shot up, sweat dripping down his face. A nightmare. He'd had a nightmare.

Kurama had been in it…and there was a demon…The demon had attacked Kurama, and Kurama called out in pain. Hiei had tried to help, he tried to save him, but his efforts were in vain. He got hit into a wall, and then found himself unable to move. Before the demon killed him Kurama said something, something strange. "Hiei…If you can hear me…I still love you."

It had all been so real. The demon, the fear, the words.

"I still love you…" The little demon repeated to himself, as if assuring that he had heard them. But he couldn't help wondering why he had such a dream. He slowly decided it didn't matter. They were leaving at around sunrise anyway!

It all sounded so easy! Find a way to the demon world, find Kurama, come home. Sounded simple enough, but simple and easy were two different things, and the little demon knew the difference all to well.

-Time skipping yet again!-

Come sunrise everyone except for Yusuke was up and ready.

"Urameshi, hurry up will ya?" Hiei heard Kuwabara shouting at Yusuke through the door.

He almost wanted to start yelling himself! He wanted to get going! He wanted to find Kurama and make sure his nightmare stayed a nightmare…and Kurama was never hurt again.

"I'm coming! I'm coming!" He heard Yusuke calling back, and soon enough Yusuke emerged from his room. "See? I'm ready to go kick some ass! Let's go!"

A smile spread across Hiei's lips, once more burning like a wildfire. Their Journey was finally beginning. They were finally one step closer to the truth.

(Really short, I know, but chapter 7 is coming VERY soon)


	7. A Withered Memory

-1(No one reviewed chapter 6 by the time I typed this.)

Chapter 7:

When the fox first woke up he could remember it all! The look of surprise in Hiei's crimson eyes, how they'd both stopped breathing, the cute little blush on Hiei's face, it was like a bunch of still frame pictures. But now…a month had passed since he had woken up, and he could barely even remember saying the words. Had it all just been a dream? No, it couldn't have been! He really did love Hiei, and if Hiei had the chance, Kurama was sure he'd say the same!

Slowly he closed his eyes. Sunset was creeping closer, and he'd been walking for three days. Surely he deserved a nap…even just a little one. Sleep closed in on the kitsune, he'd have to continue searching in the morning.

And so it began; the dream he had every time he slept since he awoke in the woman's home.

He went through school, as he did every day. Around noon however, he decided to visit Hiei after school, and he would tell Hiei the truth about his feelings for him! Yes, that was how he'd spend the afternoon. He'd spend it with the one he loved, even if that person did not love him back.

That was where the problems began. Everything became blurry…well, no. Not everything, just Hiei. Hiei was just one big blur, and the sound of his voice…it was there, almost, playing tricks among the kitsune's ears, just inches out of his reach!

Then he'd think he'd woken up. He'd be in a field, and his vision would clear up. He'd be standing in front of a large demon.

He remembered the demon had been out to kill Hiei because of a theft Hiei had committed a long time ago, but Kurama refused to let him kill Hiei. The demon overpowered him easily.

At that point the would truly wake up, and the sun would shine brightly upon him. Another day would begin, and new hope would rise.

However, it was rather depressing. He could not remember Hiei's face, nor the sound of the little fire demon's voice. Perhaps it was only a matter of time before Hiei was completely erased from the kitsune's memory…before it completely withered away.


	8. I can hear you

(Once more, Kurama would like to respond.

"Kurama I'm sorry! I do love you..I love you both..and where I am glad you are alive and well Hiei was conscious and suffering! So my first thought was of him although trust me I am VERY grateful for your safe (if some what shaky) return...but DONT LOOSE YOUR MEMORY! Hiei has suffered enough TT and so have you."

Kurama: Awww…thanks for actually thinking of me! It's okay! I forgive you! Besides, I was only kidding when I said what I said.

Me: Chapter 8 is short. If you're lucky I won't get bored and I'll type up chappie 9 too! Oh, and this chapter is really stupid. I hate it. I'm actually embarrassed to put it up…)

Chapter 8:

It had been a month, and they had found nothing. The group(except Hiei, of coarse!) was close to giving up. They were saying that there was no way they were going to find him, he was probably somewhere in the demon world, and they currently had no way of getting there. They would never see Kurama again.

Hiei on the other hand, would hear none of it. They were to continue their search until Kurama was found and safe. From there Hiei didn't care about what the others did. He was going to find Kurama and nothing the others could say would change that. He didn't care if he died trying! He would search for the Fox until the day he died…

The memory was still fresh in his mind. The sparkle in Kurama's eyes, the love in his tone, the carelessness in his stance, the happiness dancing on his lips and carving them into a smile. It was all so fresh that he could have sworn it had all happened just that morning, but sadly, the truth of the matter was that it had been over two years since he last saw him. Somewhere deep down he figured the others were probably right; he would probably never see the beautiful kitsune again.

He closed his eyes and took a breath, then opened them once more to look down at the rose.

Another memory hit him. The memory of that dream…the one he'd had almost a month ago. 'Hiei…if you can hear me…I still love you.' The words echoed in his mind. They seemed so real…like someone had actually spoken them right into his ear as he slept. He closed his eyes again, then looked down at the red rose that he held so close.

"Kurama…"he mumbled "If that really was you…I can hear you…"


	9. No Giving up

( "Go Hiei! There is (mostly) always hope! Kurama don't despair Hiei and you shall be reunited!"

Hiei: Huh…there's mostly always hope? Yes. That statement assures me. There is mostly always hope. That made me feel so…safe.

Kurama: Oh come on Hiei! Yami-Tenshin was just trying to be supportive! Be happy!

Hiei: Never!)

Chapter 9:

The words. To Kurama they seemed to be whispers among the wind, and for a moment he felt indescribable.

It was Hiei's voice. They were Hiei's words. Why could he hear Hiei? 'I can hear you'

_He can hear me? What the heck does that mean? _And then he remembered. In a moment of weakness almost a month ago he had whispered to the wind.

"I still love you…"He repeated the closing statement of his message to Hiei from a month ago. How on earth could he have forgotten that?

_Wait…he said he can hear me…Hiei heard me? No…no I must have imagined that! There is no way Hiei could have hard me! We're literally in two different worlds! It was my imagination…Hiei couldn't hear me…_

He stood still for another moment before continuing his search. He had heard talk of a portal to the human world and it wasn't far off either. Getting there would be pretty simple. The problem would be in getting through said portal. There would be a barrier, keeping him from getting to the human world…keeping any strong demon from getting there.

His mission seemed impossible, would he ever see Hiei again? YES! He had to!

_You can't afford to think anything else! You will return home. You will be reunited with everyone! DO NOT GIVE UP!_

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Me: CRAP MUFFINS! The Chapter was short! I have to type Chapter 10 now! Oh poopy!

Hiei: Kurama…do you think Hayley is a bit tired?

Kurama: I believe so…

Me: No! I always act like that.

Hiei: I don't think I'm sleeping tonight…

Kurama: Neither will I…

Me: YAY! More time to type up my fan fiction! -eye twitch- coffee highs rock! Whoo!

Hiei: I believe I have just figured out why her girlfriend tells her she's not allowed to have anything caffeinated…

Kurama: I believe so…

Hiei and Kurama: R&R please!


	10. Better Than Nothing

Chapter 10:

"Hiei! Hey, shrimp? C'mon! We've got a lead! We're going to keep searching! Hiei? Where the hell did you go you little Shrimp???"

Yusuke let out a soft sigh. _The little rat left…probably thinks we gave up. Can't really blame him though, we were about ready to…it does seem nearly impossible. Little brat must be so pissed at us. I can already hear it. He'll be like "Does Kurama really mean so little to you ungrateful bastards? And you call demons heartless! Pitiful!" But then again I can't blame him for that either. It really isn't fair of us to give up on Kurama. He wouldn't give up if it was any of us…And it isn't fair to leave Hiei hanging like that either! Poor little guy! Koenma locked him away for two years, and he was still willing to fight! We're just sticking it out till we get bored…even after all of the Little Guy's guilt trips to himself and tearing his own heart to shreds…_

"Great. Now we have to find Hiei too." He mumbled, glaring at the ground.

"Really? Well that shouldn't be too hard, seeing as I'm standing right behind you."

Quickly Yusuke swung around and looked up to see a tired looking Hiei standing on a tree branch.

"So…what were you saying about a lead?" The little demon asked, jumping down from the tree and landing on his feet with ease.

"Oh, right! The Dark Tournament Stadiums were rebuilt! The tournament is held by five demons. O, and the rules have changed a bit, but you till get a wish! We could wish for Kurama back! So if we join the tournament we're--"

"Short two members. There's you, there's me, and there's the Neanderthal. We'd need two more demons, and I do not know who you intend to recruit but I assure you that they will not even come close to the strength Kurama has obtained. Trust me Detective, I'm the last one who wants to rain on our little escapade, but without the Fox we'd surely loose by the time we made it to our third fight."

The two were silent for a moment while Yusuke tied to think of something to cheer the little demon up.

"It won't hurt to try, will it?"

"I suppose not. If we're lucky we may loose the Neanderthal along the way as well."

The two laughed for a bit, the first time Hiei had laughed in a LONG time, but it wasn't long before they headed back to the others.

"So Detective, who DID you recruit?"

"You'll see, Shrimp." Yusuke smiled a bit. He found the confused look in Hiei's eyes absolutely adorable. "Come on, let's go."

Hiei gave him a sharp glare, but swiftly followed. He was too curious about the new team mates to even begin getting angry for such a moronic insult.

_They're probably lower class demons, but they'll have to do. _the little demon thought, watching his feet. _Any chance of finding Kurama is better than nothing._

----------------------------------------------------------------

Hiei: Yet again she's made me seem like a wimp…

Kurama: It's called love Hiei! And you're starting to make me feel Unloved!

Hiei: -panics-

Kurama -blinks- you actually care about how I feel Hiei?

Hiei: -looks around and slowly nods-

Yusuke: Well the love-birds chit chat, Hayley would appreciate it if you'd R&R please!


	11. Gone Again

(I dun wanna type this Chappie! It makes me sad!!!

Hiei: I'd type it for you but…well I'd really rather not…)

ELEVEN:

"You are Yoko Kurama, are you not? The legendary bandit?" The voice was not far off, and Kurama di NOT trust it one bit.

"No, I'm sorry, you must have mistaken me for someone else, my friend."

"Mistaken? Me? I'm sorry, but I do not make mistakes."

( I can barely read what I have written in my notebook… that's bad…when YOU can't even read your own handwriting… XD )

A weapon was wielded, and there was a flash of a bright yellow light. Some kind of energy? No…but whatever it was it was strong…Strong enough to knock the poor kitsune off his feet. Pain surged through his body, it became hard to hear...think…speak…What was going on? He felt as if he were being eaten alive from the inside out. The pain was immeasurable, it nearly made him ill.

He lost all feeling, and slowly drifted off into the darkness, unable to do anything to help himself.

( Me: Dude! I'm leaving that part off there! MUHAHA YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED!!! WHOOOOTAH!

Hiei: WHOLEY CRAP! Kurama I think she killed you!!! Kurama? Where'd you go?

Yusuke: He'd hiding from Hayley in the closet.

Hiei: Umm…alright… ANYWAY! Hayley's switching scenes now…)

"Detective! Get over here! Now!"

The teen looked up. Fear was not a tone you could often find in Hiei's voice.

"What's up Shrimp?" He asked as he headed toward the little demon.

"It's…why is…Kurama's rose! It's…again! It's wilting! Why??? I think he might be…but he can't be! We have to find him Yusuke! The flower is only wilting! It's not dead yet! …I have to…to save him this time! Urameshi I--"

"You need to calm down Hiei! We're almost at the stadium. Our teammates are already there. We'll win, and then we'll save Kurama. Everything ill be fine!" The teen tried to sound as reassuring as he could, but it didn't work too well.

"But…what if we're to late? What if…"

"Don't think like that, Shrimp! He'll be alright! We'll find him, and everything will go back to normal! You've got my word on it!"

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Me: So that was Chapter 11...Umm…You three know the line!

Yusuke Hiei and "The Closet": R&R!!!


	12. Pain, Remorse, And Longing

Chapter 12 marks the beginning of the end of the ultra-short chapters! Whootah!:

He was anxious. The island was coming into view. He wondered what was going to happen. This trip was his second time to the dark tournament, third tournament in total, and his first ever tournament without Kurama around. In the back of his mind he wondered if everything really would be alright, like Yusuke had said it would. At the same time he wondered why he found such comfort in the words of others. Such things should not matter to him! Such things were unimportant!

In an attempt to distract himself he began making predictions.

_By the looks of it we'll be at the island by nightfall, and if I'm correct, Yusuke has recruited two strong demons, not as strong as Kurama but they'll have to do. Kuwabara will probably make a stupid move, underestimate his opponent, overestimate himself, and end up losing his first fight, and Yusuke will win all of his own fights, which should make up for the ones Kuwabara looses._

However, he never once expected what was really going to happen in this Dark Tournament.

--

His first guess was correct, they arrived at the island by nightfall, just in time to check into the hotel.

The second of the little demon's suspicions was correct as well. The mysterious replacements were the Shinobi Jin -Master of the Wind- and Touya -Master of Ice-. He supposed they could do no harm to the team, and that he should be more worried about the damage Kuwabara could Dothan he was about what they might do.

He wondered if it was all just a dream. Maybe he'd taken one to many hits to the head and he was just delirious. He'd wake up and Kurama would be by his side, reading a book or something. Maybe when he awoke he'd ask the kitsune what had happened and the kitsune would say he fell ill and had been in a state of delirium. But…wouldn't that mean that he'd imagined the words as well? That couldn't be right either! He was so sure he'd heard the words! They were just to real to be a dream!

Those thoughts were exactly what kept the little demon going. The fact that Kurama had returned the feelings Hiei had kept locked away, deep within the pits of his soul for too long.

He found himself closing his eyes and savoring the memories. When he actually thought about it, Kurama had been there every time the little demon needed him…so why wasn't he there for Kurama?

Guilt overcame the young boy as he collapsed onto his bed and allowed himself to burn the wall between himself and his emotions for the first time he could even remember. He felt tears leaving his eyes. They started out warm, but soon became cold, and soon after they crystallized.

_Stop crying…_ He told himself. _This is pathetic! You're pathetic! Why are you crying?!?! We're going to find Kurama! Everything will get better! The Detective gave me his word…_

That bothered the little demon as well. Why the hell did he trust Urameshi's words so much? Was it because two years ago…Urameshi had trusted HIS words. All of the evidence had pointed straight at the little demon and yet Yusuke still believed he was innocent? Maybe trusting Urameshi was his own way of thanking the Detective. He didn't know. He didn't want to think about it too hard.

It slowly occurred to him that being framed and imprisoned had actually gotten to him, even if he didn't want to believe it!

The tears burned his cheeks at first, before turning to ice and crystallizing, finally rolling to the floor and creating a medley of soft clicks that told the story of his pain and misery, guilt and remorse, hope and longing, and the question that still remained:

Would he ever see his love again?

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Me: Whootah! Chapter 12 is completed! And…I think Kurama's still in the closet… Hey...Closet!

"Closet": Yes?

Me: Say the line!

"Closet": R&R please, my friends.


	13. Refusal

Chapter 13:

"Oh my…Hiei! You're crying!"

The little demon sat up quickly, staring at the intruder.

"Botan…" He growled, half glaring at her, but it wasn't until she hugged him that he was truthfully angry. "Get off of me you freak!" He screeched, trying to shove her off. "I'm not crying! You're seeing things! Now get off!"

"But…Hiei…you're upset!"

"Yes…well…I don't enjoy physical contact Botan."

Slowly she separated herself from him, and watched him gather and pocket the little gems.

"What is it you want with me?" He tried to sound unaffected but the hurt tone just wouldn't leave him alone.

"You were screaming…and…I wanted to know why…" Botan muttered nervously as she watched the hate in the little demon's eyes intensify. "I just wanted to make sure you were ok…"

"The things I say and do are none of your concern, and I do not intend on explaining myself to you. Leave me be!" He found himself snapping at her, which he hadn't meant to do, but he just wanted to be alone. He didn't understand why she cared, why she was so concerned with him.

"Are you sure you're alright though?" She pleaded with him "Just…please explain it! You were crying, and screaming his name Hiei! It's not normal for you to show emotion, let alone actually cry! And you kept saying that you were sorry…why are you sorry Hiei?"

He looked to the side, almost wishing he could disappear. He felt dizzy, and very ill. He didn't want to explain it. He didn't want to show it. He just had to get it out of his system…but she was watching…and he didn't want to show emotion with another living creature around.

"Get out." He uttered the words after a moment or two of agonizingly empty silence.

"Not until you explain yourself! Hiei, you never show your emotions, and now you're in here sobbing! Please just tell me what's wrong!"

"Nothing is wrong, now get out!" His voice cracked. _Damn you! Don't you dare crack in front of her! You're so pathetic!_

"Please…Hiei just tell me…I won't tell anyone else, I promise!"

"DAMN YOU! Get the hell out!" He hadn't meant to, but his anger caused him to act on impulse and he gripped his sword's hilt tight. He watched as Botan ran out.

_Did you really want to kill her? I seemed quite possible, though she did nothing wrong, however, she did bother me, and enter my room without my consent. Then again she did it out of concern for me, but my emotions should be none of her concern._

He sat on the bed and let out a soft sigh. He felt horrible for scaring her like that, and he knew he shouldn't have done it. The little demon just didn't know how to react to someone who wanted to be close to him. He didn't know how to make friends, he didn't quite understand how to show that he returned their kind feelings. He didn't understand what it truly meant to have friends. The only thing he truly understood was the story of his life. To be banished from one place to the next, until one day he would have nowhere left to go.

He took the rose out of his kimono and stared at it for a long while before grabbing a glass from a cupboard and filling it with water. He put the glass on the bed stand and placed Kurama's rose in the water.

_Perhaps that will help a bit…_

Placing the jewels in one of his drawers and locking it he walked out of his room and off down the hall. He was going to go find a ice…quiet…solitary place to sit and think. To reflect upon the times that have passed, and to hope for good things to come.

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Me: Ah, a bit short, but longer than it originally was when I made the rough draft of this chapter. I added quite a bit at the end than what it really was.

Hiei: Are you calmed down yet Hayley?

Me: Hiei...you know the line!

Hiei: Hn (TRANSLATION: R&R)


	14. Intruder

Chapter 14:

And so it began. The first round was pretty simple. Yusuke won his match easily, Kuwabara lost his (no surprise there), Jin and Touya had no trouble, and Hiei's opponent was dead within two minutes.

To be truthful; the little demon barely even remembered getting into the ring. He wondered if he really was depressed, but he decided he wasn't. He was only distracted. All he could think about was what would happen when he found the Fox.

Perhaps he would find out the words truly were a dream. Perhaps he would learn that Kurama didn't love him, he didn't even care for him…or perhaps not.

Perhaps Kurama would tell him the words were real What would he do then? How could he tell the Fox that he returned his affections? How could he show him such a thing. He'd never once understood it, he barely understood how he knew he was in love. The only thing he did know was that he loved the Fox, and he didn't know how to show him that.

He didn't know how to show Kurama the kindness he wanted to show him. He didn't understand how to let Kurama through the walls he had built around his emotions. He didn't know how to say anything without sounding cold about it, without sounding like he didn't care. He truly wanted to show Kurama how he felt, but every time he had tried, the walls made themselves bigger, thicker, more and more impossible to get around!

He let out a soft sigh and slipped the key into the door of his room, then swung the door open gently, trudging inside, but something wasn't right. Someone else was there, and he could feel it.

"Alright, who's here?" He asked calmly. He didn't bother to turn on a light, he just looked around the room in annoyance. "I know you're here, coward. Stop hiding." He took a few more steps into the room with his hands shoved in his pockets. He may have seemed off guard, but he was ready to kill if need be.

_You are Hiei…_The voice echoed in his mind.

The little demon let out another sigh. "Telepathy? You really are a pathetic little rat, aren't you?"

_Hiei of the evil eye…Hiei of the Koorime…Hiei The Forbidden Child…_

He let out a low growl and looked around yet again. Some BASTARD he didn't even know was bringing parts of his past into a conversation he didn't even want to be a part of.

"Who are you?" The hate slipped though in his voice, hissing at the intruder like acid.

_Who I am does not matter, my friend. What does matter is what you're going to do about it. However, my time here has run out. I must be leaving, Hiei of the Evil Eye._

Suddenly he heard the door open and swung around to see who was there, but there was no one. Whoever had been in his room was gone now.

He sighed and opened the drawer he had put the gems in, amazed to see that they were still there.

_My friend…_ He thought. _Where the hell have I heard that before…? Who the hell do I know who calls random people 'my friend'…well there is Kurama but…that wasn't him…his energy was different from the Fox._

He closed his eyes and flopped on the bed. He'd have more time to think tomorrow, for now he was tired.

-time skip!-

"Hey! Hiei! Did you sleep well?" He heard the over-perky, blue-haired dumb ass calling through his door.

He made no response, however, because he was lost in thought, and his thoughts were much to important to be interrupted by a pathetic being such as her.

"Oh dear…maybe he's still asleep…" Botan mumbled.

"Really? Well if he doesn't wake up soon then he'll just have to miss our next match! I sure hope Kuwabara doesn't mess it all up for us!" Yusuke called, and to no one's surprise, Hiei emerged.

The little demon looked rather annoyed. He hated this tournament. He hated everyone involved with it. He hated everything.

As he followed them down the hall his hate deepened. They were laughing and talking of how easily they could crush their enemies. He didn't understand how they could be so damned happy! They were acting as if they'd already saved their dearest friend. He wished he could kill them all, but not only would that stop his search for the fox, it would land him a one way ticket to the Makkai Jail.

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Me: Paragraphs 3-6 and 15-17 are all little bits I added on just to make all of you guys happy I guess. I dunno, it made the chapter longer than what I had originally written. I like it better than the rough draft…it makes more sense…

Botan: R&R Please! Meow!


	15. Ryu Of The Black Dragon

(Okay really quick I'm going to explain to you something. Don't get angry with me for this chapter…I totally suck at writing fight scenes. I hate them, they are annoying to write, but this is a dark tournament and some of said fights are important, so I will do my best. Just don't hate me if they suck egg yolk.

Oh, and responding to a review for chapter 11:

" u didn't just kill kurama did u -chain saw behind my back- good chapter by the way!"

Me: Umm… -slowly grabs Hiei and pushes him in front of myself, using him as a shield while my eye twitches and I laugh nervously- Ehheheh…no! Of course not…heh heh…heh…DON'T KILL ME! -chucks Hiei at you and runs-)

This is Chapter 15

"Okay folks! The first match is about to begin! On my left is Ryu of the Black Dragon, and on my right is Hiei of The Evil Eye!" Koto screeched happily.

That name made he little demon curious. Why was this man called Ryu of the Black Dragon?

"Begin!" … No one moved … "I said begin!" Koto whined. …Still nothing …"Will you two fight already???"

"Hiei of The Evil Eye…"

_Not this guy again…_

"Hiei of the Koorime…"

_This is the bastard from my room the other day!_

"Hiei the Forbidden Child."

"I do not know who you think you are," The little demon began "But you'd best stop acting as if you know me. I assure you that you may know who I am, but that does not mean you know anything about me!"

"Ah, but you see, I do." Ryu smirked a bit. "You see, I know that you were dropped from the village of the Koorime as a baby because you were a boy of flames, forbidden. I know your mother commited suicide, and not long after that your sister left the village in search of you. I know you resent yourself for not being able to tell her truly are. I know that for your entire life you've felt--"

"Silence yourself!" Hiei snapped, glaring at the man with hate burning in his eyes.

However, Ryu did not obey.

"Yoko Kurama, hidden within the body of the human Shuuichi Minamono, is the only one you feel has ever truly cared for you."

"What about it?" The little demon raised an eyebrow.

"Two days before the boy's murder…he confessed his love to you."

"What the hell is your point?" Hiei snapped.

"You, the forbidden child, finally had someone who cared…and you killed him."

The pain came back. The voice, the words, everything from that day just flooded back, drowning the poor little demon's will to go on. He felt sick, he hated being blamed for Kurama's disappearance! It just wasn't right…

"Or so everyone thought." Ryu continued, causing Hiei to snap back into reality. "But how on earth could you possibly have done it. You were nowhere near him when it happened. How could you have known someone was out to kill your precious lover?"

"Why the hell does it matter??? And he's not my lover!" Hiei snapped at him again, still glaring.

"What if I told you that I have the answer to any question you wanted to ask about the death of Shuuichi Minamono?"

"You know the truth?"

"I do."

Hiei suddenly found himself dodging a series of attacks before he managed to kick Ryu in the stomach.

"If I win, you'll tell me?"

"I will."

This time the little demon was hit. He fell to the side and rolled a bit but quickly stood again.

For a moment both fighters disappeared, moving to fast to be seen by the naked eye. They landed on opposite sides of the arena about two minutes later, both covered from head to toe in stabs, cuts, burns, you name it.

"so tell me, why are you called Ryu of the Black Dragon?" Hiei asked. He was just curious. He never expected what would really happen.

"o you really want to know?" Ryu smirked a bit, and before Hiei had a chance to reply a black energy began to swirl around Ryu. "Is it not obvious? I have in my possession a black dragon. No, I do not have a Jagan, but I have a dragon none the less. A different type of Dragon, however."

The little demon wasn't exactly sure how to react. He kept telling himself he'd win, he had to win, he had to know the truth. Who hurt his Fox, who framed him, why? He knew it couldn't bring his Fox back to him, but at least it could give the little demon his own sense of security, and maybe then it wouldn't hurt as much…maybe if he knew the truth it wouldn't hurt so much…

Before he'd known what happened Koto was halfway through the ten count and he was halfway through a concrete wall. Forcing himself to his feet he jumped back into the arena. He could barely open his right eye and I felt as if blood was pouring from the back of his head. He felt weaker. MUCH weaker. He could barely hold himself up.

"What did you do to me?" Hiei growled, staggering to the side a bit.

"My Dragon gets bored, and hungry Hiei. I have a responsibility to it…to FEED it. You were the perfect little meal for him…or atleast, your demonic energy was. That's what he eats. Demon energy. Of course, the effects are only temporary, and you'll be bck to yourself in a day or two, but for now you are powerless." Ryu disappeared, and it made Hiei nervous. It actually made him nervous. He was weak, he had no way to pretect himself, and he knew he wasn't going to be able to dodge the next attack.

He felt a sharp pain in his back and the hit the wall yet again. He knew that was it…he wasn't getting up.

-----------------------

Hiei: Did you just kill me too?

Me: Hell no!

Hiei: Oh…okay…

Me: OH! And I would like to clarify something as to not get my head chopped off. This is a HieiXKurama fan fiction. That means that Hiei and Kurama will be together someday…so stop hating me for whatever the heck I choose to put Kurama through! All shall be well in the end…at least…I think it will…I haven't decided yet. Anyways, R&R


	16. The Truth Unfolds

Chapter whatever -is loosing track- 16 I think:

"KICK HIS ASS YUSUKE!" Botan screeched at the television set.

_Great…_ He thought, pushing himself up a bit _The first person I get to hear when I wake up is death…_

"Botan?" He asked quietly "What the hell happened?"

"Oh! Hiei! You're awake! Do you feel any btter?"

"Just about as 'better' as you can be after being thrown through a wall…Twice…but hell, I'm not dead…at least… I think I'm not…" He rubbed the back of his head very gently and winced slightly, placing his hand back by his side.

"Well that's good, but you're seriously injured, and I doubt your demon energy has come back yet. He hit you pretty hard Hiei…maybe you should lie back down…" She suggested, sighing at Hiei's response.

"No. How long have I been out?"

"Probably around two hours."

"Who's winning?"

"What?"

"The match Botan, who's winning the match?"

"Oh! We're winning! Actually, if Yusuke wins this we win the entire round! Oh, speaking of that, Yusuke is fighting Ryu under the same terms you fought him with. If Yusuke wins then Ryu is going to tell him everything."

"Does Urameshi have a chance?" He found himself full of nothing but hate. Hate for himself. He was weak. He was pathetic.

And then the feeling returned. The feeling he tried so desperately to keep locked inside. The feeling of guilt, despair, the feeling that he wasn't good enough. The questions of why he hadn't been there, why he hadn't been by Kurama's side when he needed him most.

Botan must have been able to read it in the poor boy's eyes because she quickly spoke up. "Hiei, he'll be fine, but please don't blame yourself for any of this. It isn't your fault! Besides, we're going to find Kurama! You heard Koenma, Kurama is still alive somewhere! He'll be fine, we'll find him and everything will go back to normal…"

"I miss him…I wanna go home…I told his mother I'd…bring him…home…" Hiei whimpered. He hadn't realized he was talking, he was too tired and weak to care at the moment.

Botan watched him with nothing but sorrow in her eyes, wishing she could do something to ease his pain. "Please Hiei…just…let Yusuke handle this and…you take another nap okay?"

He nodded his head slowly. Whether she had suggested it or not that was what he was planning to do. Sleep was closing in on him fast. Now he was too tired to keep his eyes open.

"If Yusuke loses…I swear…I'll kill…you…all…" With that he was out yet again, and Botan was left to stare at her feet and think of what Hiei had told her.

She knew a secret about Hiei only she and Kurama knew. (And she only knew it because Kurama let it slip) the little demon had a problem of sleep talking. You could carry a complete conversation with him in his sleep, and he would tell nothing but the truth throughout that whole thing. The best part was he would have no knowledge of it when he woke up.

"Hiei…" she began "are you a sleep?"

The little demon gave a whine in response and rolled onto his side.

"Good. Now, Hiei, can you tell me what happened two days before Kurama disappeared? What did he tell you?"

"Loves me too…" Hiei muttered lazily.

Botan was taken aback by the statement.

"He loves you too? Does that mean you love him, Hiei?"

"Love…Kurama…"

-Scene Skip!-

"And the win goes to Team Urameshi!" Koto yelled.

Yusuke-who had been pissed throughout the entire fight- looked even more pissed off as he walked over to where Ryu lay silent between the all and the arena.

"So, are you going to tell me the truth, or do I have to kick your ass again?" He asked, cracking his knuckles, but Ryu laughed at him.

"I am a man of my word," He said as he pushed himself to his feet. "And I do intend to keep my word. The one who 'killed' Kurama is a wealthy and strong fire demon named Kiyru. I do not know Kiyru's true intent, but I do know that he was originally out to get Hiei, not Kurama. He attacked Kurama upon learning that he was a friend of Hiei."

"Is Kurama really still alive?"

"Yes."

(Stopping there for a moment to ask a favor of you guys. Can you please put the chainsaws away, I let Kurama live, thee is no need to kill me! Thank you for listening, now we can resume the chapter.)

"And what about this Kiyru person? Where can we find him?"

"Why, he is a member in this very tournament."

Good, Hiei is going to want to know that…"

-More scene skips!-

"How long has he been asleep like that?" Yusuke asked Botan quietly upon entering the room.

"Well, he woke up toward the end of your fight with Ryu, but about five minutes later he passed out again…Yusuke I think something's wrong with him…I mean…really wrong!"

Yusuke watched her silently. He knew she was worried about their little friend, they all were. He had been acting so weird lately, but he didn't think it was any reason to start crying.

"Why, what did he say?" He asked quietly, an Botan let out a soft sob.

"He'd been talking in his sleep Yusuke, and he…he said…he told me what Kurama said two days before he disappeared. And…and a few days ago…he was crying out for Kurama in his sleep, saying he was sorry…I came to check on him and he…he was really crying Yusuke! And I…it was just…one of the most…Oh Yusuke! I looked into his eyes and…I just lost it! When I went back to my room I actually cried! The poor thing may pretend to be okay but…I looked into his eyes…Yusuke it's…the same look I get from the people who have just given up completely…the ones who feel they've got nowhere left to go but to death! Except he was worse! I've…I've never seen anyone that upset before Yusuke!"

When she started to cry Yusuke sighed softly and held her gently.

"Calm down Botan…if you keep yelling like that you'll wake Hiei up…come on, let's go out in the hall for a few minutes, okay?"

To hear that from death…that death herself had never seen anyone so upset before…it really said something. As the two walked out into the hall Yusuke took one last look over his shoulder at their little friend and was over come with guilt. He couldn't believe that pale little thing was the fire demon that he had met almost three years ago, the same demon who had broken into King Enma's vault and actually escaped alive, and now, here was that same little demon; crying in his sleep from the guilt of not being able to help the only person he had ever loved.

"Poor little guy…"

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So I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and the great news that was brought with it because your secure feelings will all come crashing down in chapter 17. So enjoy the happiness while you can. The chaos will return in Chapter 17 just because I'm mean like that.

And for anyone who's curious: Yes, Kurama is still hiding in my closet. Oh, and Hiei has been in there too ever since I threw him at that person with the chainsaw…

Anyways, R&R please! Thank you! This was a pain in the fingers to type up, it was actually originally two chapters but I saw no reason to divide it up and just threw them together. So enjoy it, and review it.


	17. Is It Good Or Bad

( "I just thought of something. Koenma has to go through lot's of paper work to well who's dead and not. So y did he think Kura-chan died if his death paper never showed up? or at least it should'nt show up. btw puts chain saw on the ground nice chappy, and thanks for throwing Hiei at me (m, sexy fire demon who's not as sexy as kura-chan though) can u throw Kura-chan at me?"

Uhh…sure… -throws the closet at you-

Closet: AHHHH

Koenma: the paperwork never showed up because…huh…come to think of it you've got a point…

Hiei: SO YOU IMPRISONED ME FOR EVEN _**MORE**_ NOTHING??? -jumps out of the closet and chases Koenma with his sword-

Kurama: -jumps out of the closet and chases Hiei- Ah! Hiei-kun don't kill Koenma!

Me: EVERYONE FREEZE!

Everyone: -freezes-

ME: The paperwork never showed up because Kurama's soul "died" in the demon world. If you watched Yu Yu Hakusho the Movie 2 is explained that the Netherworld used to deal with the souls of departed demons. I know the Netherworld was destroyed, but that doesn't mean Koenma deals with the demon's souls. I don't know what happens to them, but Koenma doesn't deal with them. Kurama is Yoko too, so…yeah…DEAL WITH MY HORRID EXPLINATION AND ENJOY THE NEXT CHAPTER!)

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"Kiyru…never heard of him."

"You have no idea who he is, or why he's after you?"

"Not really…"

"You're useless!"

The two glared at each other for a while before they moved again. It wasn't like they were wasting time though, they had the day off. After a while Hiei became bored, stood, and walked off without another word, leaving Yusuke to sit there, alone and confused, wondering where Hiei had gone.

-scene skip!-

"well that was fast, an excellent beheading by Shiara!" The little demon let out a soft sigh. He had hopped to watch the entire round, but apparently missed the first match. Looking up at the scoreboard he realized he'd missed all but one of the matches. Whoever won this next match one the round.

He watched a pink-haired cat-girl walking off of the arena happily. He assumed she was Shiara, considering she wasn't the one without her head.

"Up next is Risha versus Shuuichi!"

_Did she just say Shuuichi???_ His thoughts began to race, he thought about the rose. It had been wilting, hadn't it? He'd put it in a glass of water by his bed, and it had been wilting. _Wait…no…this morning…it WAS at full bloom…I can't believe I didn't notice that! But that means that… _He panicked. Was this the same Shuuichi?

A cloaked fighter and a brown haired girl entered the ring, but the girl was dead as soon as the cloaked fighter flicked his wrist. She was hacked to pieces.

"and the win goes to Team Kiyru!"

Shuuichi turned toward the stands, and locked eyes with the little fire demon. Then he turned and walked back over to his team, without bothering for a second glance.

_There is no way that he is Kurama, there's just no way…he looked at you like he was going to kill you…like he could kill you at any second…Kurama would never look at you like that, even if he could kill you…calm down…it's not him…it's not him…_

And then the words came back. _Hiei, I know you feel alone in your life, and I know you'll probably hate me for this, but I needed to tell you; I love you._

He cringed a bit, wishing he didn't have to remember. The words stung not only in the back of his mind, but in his heart. He hated them, and cherished them all at the same time.

_But why? Why does he love me? Perhaps it is not knowing the answer to that that is causing me so much pain…_

-Scene Skip-

"So Hiei, how was the fight?"

The little demon didn't respond, instead he blinked and asked "Botan…what are you doing in my room…and how did you get in here?" The question combined with the look on his face made him absolutely adorable, and Botan couldn't help but smile a bit.

"I was just checking up on you, that's all."

"Well…" He was at a loss for words. The fact that Botan had seen everything had just smacked him right across the face. She's seen him cry, she'd heard him calling out for Kurama… So he resorted to the only thing he could.

"Hn." And he looked away from her as he walked over to his bed and took off his boots.

"Hiei, you never told me how the fight went. Do are opponents look easy?"

"Anything but…" The teen replied as he sat on his bed and pulled off his cloak.

"Oh…well…it looks like Kurama's rose is blooming well! That's a good sign right?"

"Hn." That was his personal favorite conversation killer ever created.

"Well you're acting a lot more like yourself now Hiei, what caused this sudden change?"

"It is none of your concern, now get out."

"Fine, I'll just stop by Yukina and the others than." She headed for the door with half a hope that Hiei might follow her, but as she suspected Hiei made no response.

The poor girl's head hurt so badly. She wished they could go home. Just find Kurama and go home, and she knew the others all felt the same.

Back in his room the little fire demon found himself pacing.

_Was that truly Kurama? No…no it couldn't have been…could it? No! It wasn't…was it? Maybe…but why would he look at me that way? If it was Kurama…why was he angry with me? Is it because I wasn't there for him…because I wasn't there to…_

"to save him?" he finished his question out loud. "did he hate me for not saving him? But…but that isn't fair! I didn't know he was in danger…"

_I didn't know you were in danger Kurama, I didn't know…_

_-scene skip-_

"Botan? What are you doing here? I thought you were going to check on Hiei."

"Well…I was but…I guess something was bothering him. He was acting more like his old self but…I'm not to sure if it's good or bad."

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Ugh, that was a pain in the butt to type while doing two roleplays and running to the bathroom every three minutes because I'm sick, so you guys had better appreciate this chapter! Read it and Review it! Or else I'll be sad and I won't have any stupid comments to put at the beginning of the next chapter.


	18. Late

"it was so good. i totally appreciate this fic. i hope you feel better. i'm glad hiei's happy (and confused)."

Aww! Thank you so much for your appreciation! -gives you a virtual cookie-

And

"Kurama is brain-washed I kill you for that, he is a good guy and you have him look at Hiei LIKE THAT! (flings ninja star at your head) That it mean and just and just plain WRONG FIX IT. Please and Thank you."

Well I would -dodges ninja star- if you all would stop mauling me!

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"Hiei! Get up Shrimp! You're gonna make us late again Shrimp!" Yusuke couldn't believe he'd had to wake the little demon up twice now, but it wasn't too long before the little demon emerged from his room.

He gave Yusuke a funny look and found himself chuckling a bit. "It is great to know that you can fight in your night clothes, Urameshi, but I think you may want to change before the fight just in case." He tried not to laugh at the look on Yusuke's fault.

"I'm going to change now! At least I'm awake on time!" Yusuke snapped, heading back to his room.

Hiei chuckled a bit. He knew Yusuke had been planning on changing the whole time, they still had a good half hour before the fight.

-scene/time skip-

No one was surprised when Team Urameshi arrived late, but they were surprised by the fact that Team Kiyru was later that Team Urameshi.

"And you were worried we'd be late?" Hiei grumbled, looking around nervously.

"What are you so worked up about? Did you not sleep last night or something?" Yusuke asked.

"Yes, actually. I was asking around about this Kiyru person. I learned that he never fights unless he thinks that it is absolutely necessary, and other than that he leaves the fighting to his lackeys. That's not what worries me, it's actually a blessing that Kiyru won't fight us. It's that most of the people working under Kiyru are only pawns, kept with him not by free will but by force. He uses a sort of mind control. It works best on animal-type demons. Such as cats…rats…foxes…"

"Foxes…wait, Hiei you don't think he might have…"

Their conversation was cut short by Koto screaming the announcement of Team Kiyru's arrival.

"Terribly sorry we're late! We had a bit of trouble getting Shuu-chan to wake up this morning." Shiara announced, clearly pleased with herself for something.

"Yes well…the two teams should now decide the terms of the fight, and who is fighting who." Koto replied, blinking a bit at Shiara's enthusiasm.

"So Team Urameshi, I have to apologize for this but Lord Kiyru doesn't see it fit for him to even bother coming here. He says we can handle scum like you on our own. Shiara stated with a cocky grin on her lips. "o what'll it be Urameshi? A dice roll, maybe? I know it's not all too original, but I've always been one for the classics."

"doesn't matter to me so long as I get to kick someone's ass and pound their face right into the ground!" Yusuke replied, cracking his knuckles.

"Then a dice roll it is!"

"Fine by me."

"Okay well here's how this is going to work. Each Team gets a color. Red or Green. Each individual team mate gets a number. One through five, but the six is a wildcard. So say you guys chose red as your color, if I rolled the red die and got a two, whoever you chose as number two would fight. Get it?"

"Seems simple enough to me. We've got green. Kuwabara is going to be one. Touya is two. I'll be three, Hiei is four, and Jin is five."

"One more thing." Hiei interrupted the two with the slightest tone of annoyance. "If a six is rolled for our team then I will be the one fighting."

Shiara raised and eyebrow but Yusuke nodded in agreement.

"Alright Hiei, you can fight if a six is rolled as well as a four."

Shiara smiled a bit. "I am two, Sinku is three, four is Rya, and five is Shuu-chan. If a one is rolled then you can pick who you fight. Six is still a wildcard.

The dice clicked against the stadium floor and Shiara smiles at what had been rolled.

"Looks like it's Kuwabara versus Rya!" Koto shouted.

"this is going to be easy." Rya muttered with a smirk.

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It would have been longer if I hadn't gotten Ninja stars thrown at me.

Everyone review, and in that review PLEASE promise me you'll not kill me for anything else that happens in the fic, because you have to keep in mind that there is going to be a sequel for it and if you kill me before I can give you that sequel you will NEVER get a happy ending.


	19. Fire versus Ice

"You're updating faster than I can keep up, must be you're feeling better...:)

more please and thank you."

Nah, actually the illness is getting worse throughout the day. Typing keeps my mind off of it though. But here is more for ya! Not much, but it'll have to do for now. I'll update it soon. Either later today or tomorrow, we'll see.

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Rya had been correct. She easily won the match. Her power was at least twice that of Kuwabara. He didn't stand a chance. She's only hit him once and he went through the wall and ended up unconscious.

"That was easy." She said as she turned and hopped out of the arena.

The next dice were rolled, a green six and a red three.

"Sinku the Ice Demon versus Hiei the Fire Demon!" Koto shouted.

The two were on the stage in only a moment, and looking upon his opponent Hiei actually felt he might lose. He had to find a way of beating her without fighting her. Not because he wasn't strong enough, no that was far from the case, it was because Sinku was a little girl, she couldn't be older than ten. Maybe he could scare her into giving up the fight?

"BEGIN!"

Before he had a chance to think he was dodging a series of attacks the little girl was sending at him.

_She's fast…_ He thought, narrowly dodging a sword made of ice.

"Why won't you fight me?" Sinku yelled, watching him with anger and confusion in her eyes.

"I don't fight children." He replied casually.

"Well Ican't fight you if you won't fight back! Just give up!"

"No."

"You can't win without fighting!"

"Watch me." With that Hiei was gone, and Sinku found herself pinned to the ground. Hiei's foot was gently, but firmly, placed on her upper chest, keeping her from getting up.

"Hey! This isn't fair! Get off!"

"Shut up brat. I'll let you go in roughly nine seconds."

Koto had just begun the count, and a few people were chuckling.

"I thought you were supposed to be strong…" Hiei mumbled.

"I AM! And if you'd get off of me I could prove it! At least I'm not a forbidden little wretch!"

Hiei was completely oblivious to everything that happened after that. When he snapped out of his anger fit he was in the ring and face to face with the cloaked Shuuichi.

"BEGIN!"

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Ah, the cliffhangers. What wonderful things, they are.

You guys have to wait and wonder. What will happen? Is this really Shuuichi Minamono, or just some other guy with the same name? Nobody knows…except me! And my girlfriend! Yay me and my girlfriend!

Every time I try to spell check Minamono my computer asks if I'm trying to spell cinnamon…Odd…

Anyways, read and review please and thanks! The next chapter will be out shortly, and you guys REALLY have to promise not to get mad. This fanfic only has a few more chapters left and they're not exactly happy. You have to trust me on it though, because you have to remember that this end is not the true end! Only a new beginning! So no coming at me with chainsaws and Ninja Stars. That's not very nice.


	20. Is Something Wrong

"Aw, that's not fair... at least your updating really fast though! Woot! This story rocks.. Ehhehehe…"

Wait…what's not fair? Where I left off or the fact that you guys have to bear with me through the sadness? I mean I had this story's ending written in my mind before I even started writing it. At first I was going to leave it off depressing though. You're lucky I decided to make a sequel because I can't stand endings. Whether they're happy or not I've always just hated endings. They make you wonder "okay, well what IS happily ever after?" or "Did so and so ever come back?" or "but that's not enough! There are still too many loose ends…" So yeah…endings are annoying…here is the next chapter. I think it's going to be long but I'm not sure.

And

"uses chainsaw to break out of closet. OW! THAT HURT, u shall pay for

throwing closets at me, and giving me lame and unsatifactory answers! waves chainsaw over head AH charge."

Me: AHH!!! I'LL GIVE YOU thirty Kurama plushies, Kurama's autograph…and…his favorite shirt if you don't kill me!!!!

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Something came at him after Shuuichi flicked his wrist. Before Hiei had a chance he felt himself hit the floor, and roll about ten feet.

Koto began the count.

"One!" Hiei pushed himself up a bit. "Two! Three!" He was on his hands and knees. "Four! Five!" He pushed himself to his feet and staggered a bit. He was having trouble standing. That was going to leave one hell of a mark on not only the little demon's face, but his pride as well. And even through all that he found himself smiling.

"Finally…you bastard!" He smirked as the blood trickled out of the new wounds on his left arm and they left side of his face. He'd known that feeling as soon as it hit him. This was he real thing. Kurama was here, and this was his one shot to get him back.

He felt a bit dizzy and ill. _So you've found him…so what? That doesn't mean he's safe!_

As the fox prepared to hit him once more the little demon made a silent promise. _Kurama…if I can't snap you back into reality now then I will make sure we win this tournament, and I will set you free._

"F-Fight…Back…" Shuuichi mumbled. It was so obvious that he didn't want to be talking, or fighting. It was so obvious how much this must hurt.

The little demon's heart wrenched at the words, but he slowly shook his head.

"You're struggling against his control over him…aren't you?" He asked, smiling a bit. He couldn't believe himself. He didn't care that they were in front of over 300 people(demons), that smile was for Kurama and Kurama alone.

"Fight M-Me!"

This time the little demon dodged the attack.

"I can't do that, Fox."

"Then-n g-give up!"

"I can't do that either." He dodged another attack. "But you can." His voice was soothing, calm, much like you would expect from the fox, not from Hiei. "Either way, I refuse to harm you."

"D-d-don't! G-get…aw-away! H-Hiei! Please!"

The little demon froze, smiling a bit. _That's a start… _He quickly began dodging every attack sent his way. But an idea had been sparking in his mind this whole time. Kurama didn't want to hurt him, so maybe if he intentionally let Kurama hurt him it would… He blocked the next attack with his arms, shielding his face the best he could. The whip curled around his arm and he winced from the pain, the thorns were digging in deep, and they only dug deeper when Kurama gave the whip a swift tug.

"K-Kurama…" He held his footing and winced as blood poured from his arms. "Fight…them…not me…Fight their c-control over you…if you win that fight….we can go home…"

"I wanna go home…" Shuuichi whimpered, allowing a bit of slack in the whip.

"you can only go home if you can break his hold on you…if you do then I promise you can go home," as he felt the whip loosen he decided his best bet was to keep talking "your mother is waiting for you…if you break Kiyru's hold on you then I can take you to her. How does that sound?"

---

His head was spinning as he listened to the little demon's words. "M-Mother…? Mother is…waiting?"

"Yes, and all you have to do is break their hold!" Hiei kept saying that. Kurama couldn't figure it out, who was 'they', and what hold was he supposed to break?

He felt himself pulling harder on the whip once more, letting out a quiet whimper. "N-no…"

---

The little demon stumbled forward a bit. "No, Kurama!" the thorns dug deep once more. "You have to fight it…fight it Kurama…fight it…" He found himself whimpering slightly. "If you can't fight his hold on you then you'll never go home!"

Much to the little demon's surprise the whip was released and he fell on his ass.

"Kurama?" He questioned, unwrapping the whip from his arms. He looked down at his arms for a moment and then back up at what he had expected to be his red-haired friend. Instead he saw a silver-haired bandit.

"Hiei, do not fear. I'm not weak, and I will not allow myself to be controlled by such pathetic means, even if his trickery works best on animals, I will not do his bidding." the kitsune knelt down and picked up the whip, turning it back into a simple rose.

"so…you're not going to kill me?"

"Well, we ARE in the middle of a fight Hiei."

The little demon found himself on the defensive once more, but for the first time in a long time he felt at ease. The fight felt more like a game than a life threatening situation, and they both knew the feeling was mutual. They both wore big grins, yet fought like they were ready to kill each other at any second.

They both used their weapons for blocking and attacking, in fact they were almost perfectly in sync.

But after only ten minutes they were both worn out and choking back laughter.

"Give up, Fox!"

"Why on Earth would I do that, My Friend?"

Neither of them had bothered to notice that the fifth fighter of Team Kiyru had finally shown up, and after only another moment of breathing the two demons lunged at each other.

"Yoko, I don't think Either of us is going to win this. Maybe you should just give up."

"You're probably right, but I'm actually having fun! Then again…I am almost out of power. It looks like you're going to have to resume your fight with Shuuichi now. My apologies, my dear friend."

The little demon cringed as he watched the silver-haired fox turn back into his red-headed counterpart.

"H-Hiei?"

He smiled a bit at his Fox.

"W-what's…where are we?"

"Dark Tournament…Kurama are you alright?" He watched his friend blink a bit and look himself over.

"I believe so…but I have a pounding headache…" The Fox replied, looking up as rain began to fall. He stretched a bit.

"Are you sure you're alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine, but aren't we supposed to be fighting, Hiei?"

"I suppose you are right., but while we're fighting I would like you to answer a few questions for me."

"Alright. Fine."

The two grinned at each other and held their weapons. They weren't very far into the fight before Hiei asked his first question.

"Where have you been, Fox?"

"Demon world, searching for a way to get back to you. At least, that's what I last remember, and you?"

"Human world, doing the same. Now tell me, how did you end up back in the demon world in the first place?"

"I do not know the answer to that, my apologies."

Hiei stopped for a moment, causing the Fox to stop as well.

"Is something wrong, Hiei?" He questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, actually, but it is a matter for another time." The little demon attacked him yet again.

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I think that's a bit longer than usual is hiding from people with chainsaws and ninja stars please don't kill me for all is well! At least, so far it is. Read and Review please!


	21. Beautiful Laughter Part One

"such a good chapter now I have some thing I would like to ask of Kurama, are you happy that you back? Great chapter keep it up and great story again 'm sorry about the whole fling the ninja star at you head SORRY"

Kurama: Huh…am I happy I'm back??? Yes! Very happy! I love being back!

Me: Okay for everyone who reviewed I would like to thank you. You're all so close to the end now that I almost don't wanna type anymore.

Some one asked what happened to the little girl?

Uh…Hiei didn't kill her, Yusuke stopped him before he could. But Hiei didn't realize it, he was too pissed off to care.

This Chapter and the next (part one and two) are just little time killers I put in here cuz it was cute.

Kind of out of character for Hiei, but hey, he's got massive blood loss and he's trying to keep Kurama from killing him so yeah…

You have to read both parts in order to understand the title. I know it's the same thing basically but they're worded differently and it's just…READ BOTH PARTS PLEASE!

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He felt himself hit a wall, hard.

It was funny. His little friend was so small for his age, but the fox couldn't help but think Hiei was the strongest demon he'd ever encountered.

As the count drew near to ten the fox pulled himself to his feet and reentered the ring. He could see the concern in his little friend's eyes, despite his calm disposition.

"You've gotten stronger, haven't you Hiei?"

"To my knowledge my powers are slipping. I haven't fought, other than in this tournament, for almost two years, Fox."

Hiei's response made him want to begin crying right there, but he resisted.

"I'm sorry, my friend. That is my fault."

"You're right. It is your fault that I was locked away, and it isn't at the same time, Fox."

"What?"

"You met someone you knew was out to kill me. You also knew he was strong, and you were curious as to whether or not you were stronger. That is also partially your fault."

"Hiei you aren't making sense!!!"

"Let me finish and I will explain. Your curiosity is and is not your fault. While it is because you should learn to control yourself, it is not because curiosity is a fox's nature. Therefore we ca all blame Yoko for this mess and be happy with that."

Kurama blinked, and much to Yoko's protest, found himself laughing.

"Yes, I suppose that is true!"

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Yep, it's short. Part two is coming soon.


	22. Beautiful Laughter Part Two

(picks up at the beginning of beautiful laughter part one!)

A blow sent Kurama crashing into the wall and a wave of panic through the little demon's mind. The count got to seven before the Fox managed to return to the ring.

_I didn't think I'd hit him that hard…_

"You've gotten stronger, haven't you Hiei?"

Reluctantly the little demon responded with the thought that he may actually have gotten weaker, and he couldn't figure out why his response had bought the fox such sorrow.

"I'm sorry, my friend. That is my fault."

"You're right." He replied, receiving a look of puzzlement from the fox. "It is your fault that I was locked away, and it isn't at the same time, Fox."

"What?"

"You met someone you knew was out to kill me." This was all part of the little demon's plot to cheer the fox up a bit. "You also knew he was strong, and you were curious as to whether or not you were stronger. That is also partially your fault."

"Hiei you aren't making sense!!!"

"Let me finish and I will explain." The little demon paused for a moment. "Your curiosity is and is not your fault. While it is because you should learn to control yourself, it is not because curiosity is a fox's nature. Therefore we ca all blame Yoko for this mess and be happy with that."

He watched as a smile cracked upon the fox's lips.

Kurama was laughing, and it was one of the most beautiful sounds Hiei had ever heard. He found himself frozen…it was, to him, the most beautiful sound the world had to offer. The sound of Kurama's happiness.

"Yes, I suppose that's true." Kurama's words snapped the little demon back into reality, and he watched the fox stand there, his laughter reduced to a chuckle.

He had to force back a lump that swelled in his throat. He felt okay again, like none of this had ever happened…like Kurama had never even left.

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See? Cute! A bit out of character for Hiei, but like I said, he's suffering from massive blood loss and he's in LOVE! Whoo!

Oh yeah, here!

-gives Chaseha-Wing Kurama plushies, his autograph, and his favorite shirt- -gives ladysile a lock of Kurama's hair-

Kurama: -holds head and panics- WHERE DID YOU GET THAT????

Me: From Hiei…why?

Kurama: -stares at Hiei-

Hiei: -hides scissors- Read and review -runs-

Kurama: HIEI YOU GET BACK HERE NOW! -chases-


	23. Free To Go

I'm gonna cry when I'm finished with this, though I've actually already gotten chapter one of the sequel written….

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"So…is there anything else you wanted to talk about Hiei?" The Fox asked, still smiling cheerfully.

The little demon shook his head a bit. "No, not here. We will discuss everything else at a later time. For now let us finish our fight."

-scene skippy! ON THE SIDELINES!-

Hiei and Kurama were too engulfed in their fight to realize that Team Kiyru's Captain had arrived.

"Lord Kiyru! You're here?" Shiara gasped.

"Yes. I am. This is an interesting battle. I care not about losing Kurama, but about testing the little one's power."

"Testing? Why?"

"I have my reasons. Do not question them Shiara."

"Uh…yes master!"

--BACK TO THE FIGHT!-

"A glorious amount of bloodshed! It seems Hiei has lost too much blood to move his arms, and he can barely keep himself standing! People if you're listening to this over the radio you really need to get a Television!" Koto yelled, causing the crown to roar.

"You've gotten stronger, baka kitsune. Either that or I've gotten weaker. Either way it seems this is one fight I' not going to win."

"Are you giving up Hiei? That is…very unlike you…"

"Hn. You're right Fox. I never have been one to give up a fight, that's for sure. I've lost all feeling in my arms, and I can't really do much without them."

"I give up. Hiei wins."

It was silent for a moment or so until Yusuke spoke up.

"what are we supposed to wish for now?" He asked.

"Don't count the prize until you're sure you've acquired it, Yusuke." Kurama replied, still smiling.

After a moment Shiara began to retrieve the dice from her pocket, but Kiyru stopped her. "There will be no need for that, Shiara. This tournament is over. Team Kiyru forfeits. Oh, and Kurama, you are free to go."

Both the Kitsune and the little demon looked confused as they watched Team Kiyru walking off.

Most of Team Urameshi celebrated, but for the fox and the demon, time seemed to stand still. They both snapped back into reality when Botan ran over to Kurama, clinging and crying about how happy she was to see him alright.

Hiei smiled a bit, shoved his hands in his pockets, and returned to his room, rubbing his eye a bit after a moment.

"It was wonderful to see you all…but I believe I owe Hiei an apology for what happened." Kurama blinked as he watched Hiei leave the stadium.

"Hey, what did really happen Kurama? We know Hiei was the last one seen with you but other than that we don't know much." Yusuke watched the fox chuckle a bit.

"Yes well, that does sound like him…but he appears to be leaving, so I will have to explain it later." He replied, swiftly following after the little demon.

-time/scene skip-

When he found the little demon he couldn't help but smile. Hiei had fallen asleep under a large tree in the middle of the woods.

Looking around the Fox smiled. He could tell why Hiei had felt safe to sleep there. No one was around. It was very unlikely for them to be found in such a place.

He sat with his back to the tree, made himself comfortable, and pulled the little demon into his lap. He yawned and smiled again.

He closed his eyes and snuggled close to the little demon. He felt so safe and so warm as he allowed himself to drift into the first peaceful sleep he'd had in a long time.

-Time skip-

"AWWW! They're so cute! Yusuke can we keep them? Please?"

"Well I dunno Botan. Pets are a lot of responsibility. You gotta feed 'em and walk 'em and make sure they don't fall asleep in the middle of no where."

Yusuke joked around with Botan upon finding their two friends, and amazingly their jokes only awoke Kurama, who quickly stood, cradling the still-sleeping little fire demon.

"I hope you both know that if you wake Hiei up…you will regret it." Kurama warned.

"Some day….when I'm King…if I'm sleepin'…people are gonna…shut the hell up…" The little demon muttered in his sleep, causing his three friends to start laughing.

-time/scene skip-

"Good Morning, Hiei. Did you sleep well?"

The little demon looked up to see the Fox smiling at him, and quickly looked around.

"We're in my room, Hiei. You've been asleep for the past two days. We didn't think you'd ever wake up!"

"Hn."

Kurama chuckled a bit and smiled a bit.

"Thank you for caring for my rose Hiei. Botan and Yusuke told me you treasured it."

"Hn."

"Where did you get it, anyway?"

"The toddler found it. It's the reason they all thought you died." The little demon looked to his feet. He had to think of something to bring up the subject. Some way to bring up words that had been said so long ago. Words he wasn't even sure existed.

As if reading his mind Kurama sighed. "You missed me, didn't you Hiei?"

It was silent for a moment before Hiei finally nodded.

"At first I told myself all of this was a dream. I'd wake up, you'd be by my side. You'd tell me I had fallen out of a tree and hit my head…but somewhere along the line I realized this was no dream, but a living nightmare. From there on out I was determined to find you…and get an answer."

"And answer? To what?"

"What did you say two days before you went missing, fox?"

"I…Hiei you know what I--"

"I know Fox! Just repeat it. I need to hear it again. I need to be sure I am not crazy."

To the little demon's surprise he felt Kurama's arms wrap around him, and he didn't fight it, in fact he found himself leaving on the Fox.

"Hiei, I know you feel alone in your life, and I know you'll probably hate me for this, but I needed to tell you; I love you…that is what I told you that day Hiei, and I meant it. Those words were real. Those words were true."

They sat in silence for a moment before there was a knock on the door.

"Let's go Kurama! We're going to miss the boat!" Came a yell from outside.

The pair looked at each other and ran for the door.

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NOT THE LAST CHAPTER YET! There's more coming!


	24. Always Pretending

Well, it's been great! I'm going to miss you all! XD J/K There's going to be a sequel, and I'll probably write another after that. Endings make me cry, happy or not! So Yay for writing fan-fics! Yay for never ending-ness! Yay for me hating endings, and yay for me already having written the first chapter of the sequel!

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He could find no time at all to talk to his Fox on the boat. They were never alone. Everyone was too happy with Kurama's return to let them be alone, and Hiei couldn't blame them. They were probably just as scared as Hiei that if they took their sights off of him he'd disappear, the way he had so long ago.

Letting out a soft sigh he little demon wandered away from the group, to the edge of the boat, and stared blankly down at the water. 'Those words were real. Those words were true.' He couldn't help but smile at that. For once in his life he was truly loved. Someone cared for him. He had a place he truly belonged.

He lost himself in his thoughts. He had to catch the Fox alone. He had to tell him he returned his feelings of affection. He had to. If he didn't do it soon he would lose the courage to do so. He knew that the courage he had now was never going to come back if he didn't do something soon. However, he knew catching the Fox alone was next to impossible. He wasn't going to catch his Fox alone for at least a month.

He glanced up at the others. They were all so happy, laughing and telling stories, most likely. He almost wanted to join in, but feared what might be said, what he might say or do. No, he'd be better off on his own, secluded. That's how it had always been, thinking back on it. Every place he began to call home he became unwanted and was banished soon after. He wondered for a moment if such a thing would happen here, but quickly shook the thought off. His fox would never allow such a thing, would he? He'd once had a nightmare where his fox had turned on him and told him to leave, and he wondered if that nightmare may become a reality.

At that point he'd be in a living hell.

The little demon let out another soft sigh and looked up toward the others, blinking when he realized they weren't there.

That hurt. None of them had even bothered to tell them they were going, not even his Fox!

Pretending not to care he shoved his hands in his pockets and wandering off. He found a place to hide. One of the hallways, no one was there, and he was sure no one would find him there. Sighing again he pulled clean wraps out of his pockets. He'd gotten them from the fox and was told to redress his wounds every so often, so he did. He did his best to wrap them the way his Fox had taught him to, but he was too hurt to care. Why hadn't they told him where they were going? Maybe they had and he was too lost in La-La-Land to hear them…

He shrugged his shoulders and blinked when he heard footsteps headed toward him. He opened his eyes and looked up, and standing before him was his fox.

"What do you want, Fox?" He asked, knowing Kurama could hear the hurt in his angry tone.

"I wanted to talk to you Hiei. I want to know your answer Hiei. Do you have feelings for me as well?"

It was only about 60 seconds before the little demon nodded. "I do."

He was surprised to see Kurama look down, almost like he was hurt.

"I'm sorry. That's going to make this so much harder Hiei…" He whispered, causing the little demon to sigh and stand, shoving his hands deep in his pockets.

It hurt. It hurt so bad. He wanted to cry as he began walking down the hall, away from the one he loved, but he had known what the Fox was going to say before he'd even had to say it.

"Hiei…we both know things would be better off if we avoided each other. I'm sorry!" The Fox called after him. He could hear hurt in his Fox's tone, and he almost wanted to turn around and hug him. Beg him not to banish him like everyone else had already done, but he couldn't bring himself to do such a thing.

He found himself biting his lip and giving no response as he walked off down the hall, trying as hard as he could not to cry, but his efforts were in vain.A single tear fell from his cheeks as he turned the corner. He could still hear the fox sobbing.

_So goes the story…of my life._

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Okay, now before everyone starts coming at me with chain saw and flinging ninja stars at me I really would like you all to remember that this made me cry too, and that's why I'm writing a sequel! I'd also like to remind you that if you kill me now you'll never GET that sequel!

This is the last chapter of _A Torn Rose and A Broken Thorn. _ I hope you all enjoyed it and I hope to see you all reviewing the sequel. You've all been great. I'm going to miss writing this fan fiction, but I will take comfort in knowing that there is a sequel I'm writing, so it's not exactly over just yet!

Hint toward the sequel:

NO Kurama WILL NOT GET PREGNANT!

NO Hiei WILL NOT GET PREGNANT!

NO I WON'T BE NICE TO ANYONE!

YES It will be "coming out" soon.

So keep an eye out for it. It'll be the next fan fiction I post on here, and the summary will probably say that it is the sequel to _A Torn Rose and A Broken Thorn_ so just…keep a look out.

It's been great, I love you all, goodbye.


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